The moment I saw the paper in the Black Sand Unit leader’s possession, my instincts reacted.

It was a map—and not just any map. Something important.

“What, is this a mark for their new base?”

Sister Seol, standing beside me, suggested it could be the location of their new hideout, but I knew for sure that wasn’t the case.

I mean, think about it: a new base is essentially their new home, right?

And who the hell walks around carrying a map with their own house marked on it? Like they don’t know where they live?

That made no sense at all.

It wasn’t like they didn’t know where their base was. And if they carried it around and it got confiscated, they’d be giving away their whole operation.

So, this map had to be something else—something important.

I shared my thoughts with the others.

“I doubt it’s a new hideout. These guys are the kind who operate outside Five Venoms Clan, right? The ones doing the dirty work here in the Central Plains.”

“Yeah, true.”

“So what about it?”

“Now imagine bastards like them carrying a map with their hideout marked. What if it gets stolen or they lose it? What then?”

“Oh, right. That makes sense. No way they’d carry a map that leads straight to their own base.”

“You’re right, unni. I was thinking the same as you, but now that he says it... it’s probably not a hideout.”

“As always, our So-ryong is really something else, huh?”

—Shia. 『I agree as well.』

The way Sister Seol, Hwa-eun, and Cheong-yu Sojeo all nodded enthusiastically at once.

I felt my cheeks warm up slightly from their praise when Sister Seol murmured to herself,

“Then what the hell is it marking?”

She was wondering what exactly had been marked on the map.

What other important thing could there be?

Only one answer.

Another snake-type spirit beast.

‘They said the Black Sand Unit is out here hunting spirit beasts, especially snake-types. So there’s a high chance this map marks another snake spirit beast.’

According to Cheong-yu Sojeo, each of the Five Martial Units of Five Venoms Clan hunted beasts corresponding to their own names.

If they were carrying a map with a location marked?

Chances were high it pointed to the location of a spirit beast.

And me? If I could find where one lived, I’d just talk to it. Have a real honest conversation. Use a humane, animal-welfare–approved method to make friends and recruit it.

But Five Venoms Clan? Those guys would risk their lives and send in warriors just to capture the thing. So it made sense they’d have a map with terrain markings and the like to prep for a future hunt.

Especially the Black Sand Unit. Those bastards were like snake-catching trappers.

And since I’d heard from Cheong-yu Sojeo that they had the General Snake, it was even more likely the map was marking another one—maybe even a two-headed snake.

“I think it might be the location of another snake spirit beast.”

—Shiaa. 『Oh! That totally makes sense. When I was in Five Venoms Clan, they were always sending warriors into the Central Plains to track spirit beast locations.』

“That could definitely be it.”

“Agreed.”

“I think so too, So So-hyeop.”

Since everyone seemed to think my theory made sense, we decided to take a closer look at the place marked on the map.

“Alright, let’s take a detailed look.”

Please be somewhere close. Please be nearby.

I stared at the map, praying hard it was somewhere nearby—but no matter how long I looked, I couldn’t figure out what region the terrain markings indicated.

If it had been a full map of the Central Plains, I might’ve been able to estimate the location. But this one was just a zoomed-in portion of some region, so I couldn’t pinpoint it at all.

And when that happens?

Time for a Ji-ryong assist.

He was standing behind me, looking over the same map. I asked,

“Ahem. Ji-ryong, I can’t make sense of this. Any idea where this is?”

“Give me a moment to take a look.”

He politely asked if he could examine the map and began scrutinizing it in earnest.

But even after a long inspection, he seemed unsure. He tilted his head and said,

“I’m not certain. I think I’d need to compare it with other maps. Would it be alright if I took this with me?”

I always figured everything we found belonged to the whole group, but Ji-ryong probably assumed that, since I was the de facto leader, I had authority over it. So he was asking for my permission.

“Of course. But let’s take a look at that book first.”

“You mean this one?”

“Yes. It was found with the map, right? Maybe there’s something written in it related to the map.”

“Good point. Let’s check it.”

Since both the book and the map were found on the corpse of the Black Sand Unit leader, there was a chance the book had something relevant in it. I quickly flipped it open to read.

But unfortunately, the contents were more of a report. Nothing directly related to the map. It mostly detailed the group’s activities in this area.

"At first, we tried to catch yellow locusts and increase their numbers to send them to the Central Plains.

But we couldn’t find any in the Western Regions.

According to the locals, they appear suddenly and vanish just as quickly.

So we had the idea of turning ordinary grasshoppers into yellow locusts—

At first, we failed countless times.

But by accident—pure coincidence—we discovered a few grasshoppers confined in a small space had transformed into yellow locusts.

It was difficult to breed them in swarms, but by the summer solstice, we were able to release the first wave.

Unfortunately, the first attempt failed.

The locust swarm ascended the mountain... then vanished midway."

Digging through the pages, I found the passage detailing their first locust release. Apparently, they’d originally planned to breed and spread yellow locusts, but after stumbling upon the fact that desert grasshoppers could transform into them under certain conditions, they’d used that to their advantage.

‘Damn. They got lucky.’

Just a fluke—but that one fluke could’ve starved thousands, maybe tens of thousands, in the Central Plains.

“Talk about dangerous luck.”

“Seriously.”

“Thank goodness we stopped it.”

As everyone nodded, relieved that we’d stopped the disaster, I was left with a bitter thought—the book didn’t mention anything about what the map was marking.

‘These bastards are really leaving me disappointed.’

Still, there might be more to uncover later, so I decided to hand both the book and the map over to Ji-ryong.

“Ji-ryong, just in case, I’ll give you this book too. Let me know if you find anything.”

“Understood, So So-hyeop.”

Ji-ryong tucked the book into his robes.

Just then, we heard my brother’s voice from the cave entrance.

“Ji-ryong! Come here! Looks like the venomous fog has cleared—let’s search the inner cave.”

“Got it. I’m on my way.”

Apparently, Ranghyang’s venomous mist had lifted, so they were going to explore the interior.

Usually, cyanide gas is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. You can die of asphyxiation without realizing what hit you.

Thankfully, Ranghyang’s venom was red—easy to see when active. They could now begin the search safely.

‘Maybe I should tag along too.’

I was just about to follow Ji-ryong when Hwa-eun, staring at the two-headed snake lying down, asked,

“So-ryong, this one... I mean, this person—what kind of spirit beast is it exactly?”

“I don’t know. You don’t recognize it?”

“I’ve never heard of a snake-type spirit beast this large. And a two-headed one at that.”

“Really?”

I looked over at the beast—eyes closed, lying there like it was asleep—and asked in a careful voice.

I was going to go help with the cave search, but honestly, my hyung and the Dragon Fangs would manage fine. So I decided to try talking to the creature instead.

“Hey, are you asleep? Do you have a name?”

At that, one eye from each head opened and glanced up at me lazily.

—Ssshuu? 『What is it, human?』

—Shiiih? 『Why are you talking to me? I moved for the first time in ages. Can’t I rest a bit longer?』

Since I had unlocked the Snake Gate, snakes tended to be very cooperative with me. But maybe it was the beast’s size—or just its nature—but it definitely sounded annoyed.

Hearing those irritated tones, Cheong-yu Sojeo gently stroked one of the heads and said,

—Shia. 『When So-ryong speaks, treat it as if I’m speaking. Listen to him.』

—Shuuu. 『Ah, that’s right. I forgot.』

—Shiii. 『Understood. Apologies.』

The twin heads quickly straightened up and looked at me with a more respectful air.

—Shuu. 『Lord So-ryong, we do not have names as humans do.』

-Shii. 『That’s correct.』

That answer settled it—these two needed names.

If they were going to live with us, they had to have names. Something to call them by.

“Cheong-yu Sojeo lives with us now. So if you’re going to follow us and live among humans, you’ll need names too. May I give you names?”

The two heads looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

It seemed they were on the same page.

-Shuu. 『If that’s the reason, then by all means. We were planning to follow you anyway. It makes sense to get along with humans.』

-Shii. 『Let’s do that, then.』

“Great. Then can you sit up so I can take a closer look at your body?”

As soon as they agreed, I politely asked them to rise so I could examine their form.

Normally, I would name a creature based on known species—especially if it was one of the Ten or Twenty-Four Venomous Beasts—but since not even Hwa-eun had seen this one before, I had to rely solely on appearance.

They lifted their massive body, giving me space to inspect them.

Damn. This is insane.

“So-ryong? What are you doing?”

“Oh... just trying to get a sense of their features so I can name them properly.”

“Then why are you... hugging it?”

“M-my leg got caught...”

I had instinctively embraced its smooth, sleek body in admiration, but Hwa-eun’s pointed question snapped me out of it. I refocused and examined them carefully.

Its belly was white, but the body had a reddish hue overall.

The most striking thing was the white, ring-shaped markings on its skin.

I remembered how it had spread its hood earlier, and suspected there might be a cobra-like pattern. So I asked:

“Could you open your hood again like before?”

-Shuu. 『Hmm. Alright.』

-Shii. 『Naming us isn’t as easy as I thought, huh?』

Cobra species often have deceptive markings on their hoods meant to intimidate enemies by making themselves look larger.

Earlier, I hadn’t gotten a good look because they had kept their back turned. But now, I wanted a proper view.

After all, cobras in the Central Plains are often nicknamed “Spectacle Serpents” due to the pair of eye-like markings on their hoods.

Shraaa—

Their necks flared open immediately—and in that instant, a massive red sun pattern burst into view at the center of their white hoods.

A radiant circular design with blazing lines extending in all directions.

“Whoaaah!”

It had been invisible when the hood was folded—like a hologram—but now, wide open, the brilliant pattern was impossible to miss.

Hwa-eun stared, stunned.

“Wait... Is that the Red-Flamed Sunring Serpent?!”

“The... Red-Flamed Sunring Serpent?”

That name rang a bell.

It was one of the Twenty-Four Venomous Branches—specifically, the creature representing “Sun” in the constellation of Sun, Moon, Star, and Quake.

Translated literally: the Red-Flamed Sunring Serpent.

Recalling what I’d read before, I remembered a description that said its hood, when flared, revealed a vivid sun-like pattern.

But then I hesitated.

Because the Red-Flamed Sunring Serpent was supposedly the size of a deer—not this massive—and it certainly didn’t have two heads.

“Maybe not... It’s not supposed to be this big, and it definitely wasn’t two-headed...”

Before I could ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) voice my doubts, Hwa-eun was already second-guessing herself out loud.

She seemed unsure too.

Which made sense—this creature didn’t match anything in the reference books we had back home.

But then a new thought occurred to me.

Wait. What if the one our ancestors recorded was just a juvenile? And this one was born as a two-headed variant? That’s not impossible.

It’s entirely likely that the creature in the ancient record was seen when it was still young—and its twin heads could just be a rare mutation.

I nodded and said,

“Maybe you’re right, Hwa-eun.”

“No... but the size, the heads...”

Hwa-eun still sounded skeptical, but I responded with calm seriousness.

“No, I think this is a special variant of the Red-Flamed Sunring Serpent. Some snakes are born with two heads—it happens. And if the one in the record was a juvenile, that would explain the size discrepancy.”

“Hmm... Well, when you put it like that, I guess it makes sense...”

Convinced by my sincere and thoughtful reasoning, Hwa-eun reluctantly agreed. Even if it wasn’t the exact same serpent, I needed it to be.

Because discovering a creature more unique than the known ones? That’s every beast-tamer’s dream.

“In that case, I’ll record this one in the So-ryong Bestiary as the Twin-Headed Red-Flamed Sunring Serpent. And I’ll name you... Hwanji and Hwana.”

Following our ancestors is great and all—but finding your own special spirit beast? That’s even better.

When I gave them the names Hwanji and Hwana, the two heads leaned in and gently licked my cheek, as if pleased.

-Shuu. 『Mmm. I like it.』

-Shii. 『I like it too. But... which of us is Hwana, and which is Hwanji?』

That question instantly threw me into deep turmoil.

This was like choosing between fried and spicy chicken. Like picking between black bean noodles or spicy seafood noodles.

In other words... an impossible choice.

They both claimed Hwana first:

-Shuu. 『Then I’ll be Hwana.』

-Shii. 『Then I’ll be Hwana.』

-Shii. 『Why do you always pick the same as me?!』

-Shuu. 『You always try to steal it when I go first!』

What started as a peaceful moment quickly spiraled into a heated argument.

Their tone changed completely—no longer calm and elegant. These two were brawling now.

-Shuuu! 『You always do this! Whatever I pick, you try to take it!』

-Shiiiii! 『When!? You’re the one who always copies me!』

They looked majestic being twin-headed and all—but turns out sharing a body brought more bickering than expected.

This might be a bigger headache than I thought.

I was starting to feel a little anxious about raising them—but hey, I’d just have to deal with it.

They were a massive twin-headed serpent, after all.

I’ll grit my teeth and endure it.